The Principal of the Thing - A Two-Shot
by samekraemer
Summary: Bella Swan accepted a job at Harris Elementary as the After-School Program Director. She had no idea what else she'd find there. ExB. AH. All BPOV. A bit of lemon and some language.
1. Chapter 1

**The Principal of the Thing – A Two Shot**

_Bella Swan accepted a job at Harris Elementary as the After-School Program Director. She had no idea what else she'd find there. ExB. AH. All BPOV. A bit of lemon and some language. _

_\\\_

_**So, I thought I'd post a very fluffy two-shot I've had in my pocket for a while. I hope you like it. I'd love to hear from you! **_

_**SMeyer owns. I don't infringe.**_

_**\\\**_

"Line up," I called to the Extended Day kids in the hallway of Harris Elementary in Seattle.

"Ah, Miss Swan," I heard called behind me. It was the last day of the school year, and I was glad. It had been a long year, and I was as anxious for summer vacation as the kids.

"Principal Cullen," I greeted as he strolled down the hallway to where I was standing as the kids assembled against the wall to walk to the gym where the after-school program was held.

"So, last day? Any big plans for the summer?" he asked as he snapped his fingers at two boys who were horsing around. I could tell we were going to need to spend time on the playground before snack and inside games because they were really keyed up.

"I've got a wedding to deal with, but other than that, just sun and sand for two weeks, then settling in to a new town," I answered as I took attendance from the clipboard in my hand, slowly walking down the hallway.

"A wedding? I thought women loved weddings. You sound like you're dreading it," he responded as he followed behind me.

"I'm not the type who really enjoys all the girlie stuff. I'd have…well, if it was up to only me, it would be different," I answered.

"I forgot my lunchbox," James Hall called from the line.

"Go get it, but hurry," I told him. He was always forgetting something.

We watched him run down the hallway until he heard, "Walk, Mr. Hall," ordered from the principal.

"STOP IT!" a girl yelled. I turned to see Rosalie Whitlock yelling at the boy behind her who was apparently pulling her hair.

"Emmett, knock it off," Principal Cullen ordered with a snap of his very nice fingers. I was happy he was there to witness the behavior because I'd held off officially complaining about the kid so I didn't sound like a bitch. He was all boy, but he tried my patience endlessly, and poor Rosalie was always the target of his abuse.

"Aw, Pop, I was just teasing. Sorry, Rose," Emmett remarked quietly. I knew he knew better than to piss off his father. I was pretty sure I wouldn't have any problems with him the rest of the afternoon.

James sped down the hallway toward us, taking his place in the line that his backpack had held for him, smiling at me. "Okay, let's go," I ordered as we walked down the hallway slowly toward the gym.

"Put your stuff in your bin, and get ready to go outside," I called after everyone, Principal Cullen included, was in the gym.

"So, you don't have anything else to do on the last day of school besides help with corralling your son and his rowdy band of hooligans? I assumed you'd be busy packing up your office," I teased.

"It's the last day of school, and I've already packed. I'll miss it here, and I still say the school board got it wrong by consolidating the districts, but they didn't listen to any of us, so… Actually, I told Alice that I'd take her place to help you out this afternoon because she needed to get home to pack. So, you're not excited about your summer plans?" he asked as we ushered the kids outside after he pushed the ball bin out to the playground.

"No, I'm looking forward to it. It's just getting through the next couple of weeks, but after that, I'm very happy about everything. I've got to pack up my apartment to move, but I'm not the only person on the earth who's ever had to move. How about you? Summer plans?" I asked with a smile.

"Quite busy, actually. I've got a family thing coming up that I'm excited about, and then settling in to the new house and getting Emmett settled. Acclimating myself to being nearer my parents will definitely be a test of patience. But, at the end of the day, I think it's for the best," he answered.

"Has Emmett talked anymore about moving? He seemed pretty upset by it at first," I remembered. The tantrums in the aftermath of the closing of our little school had been felt by all of the teachers at Harris Elementary. When word came that the school was closing and being absorbed into another small school a few miles away, teachers, parents, and students alike were pissed off about it. We had no say in the matter because the decision had been made at a higher level, but that didn't mean we accepted it graciously.

"You know Emmett. Once he found out that the Whitlocks were moving to Forks as well, he really didn't care. Has he said anything to you about it?" he asked.

"Nope. But then again, he doesn't talk to me very much at school," I responded.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't talk to _me_ very much at school either. Anyway, I took the liberty of ordering pizza for the kids for the last day. It should be here in half an hour," he informed. I turned to look at him and saw a cute smile on his handsome face that sent most of the female population of Harris Elementary into overdrive. I was most certainly not immune.

"Why, Principal Cullen, that's very kind of you," I replied as a stray dodge ball hit me in the stomach. I turned to see that Rosalie had kicked it out of the way because the girls were trying to jump rope and the boys were intentionally rolling the balls in the way to make them miss.

I saw the principal look in the direction from where the ball had come, and I could see he was not a happy day camper at all. "Shit," he said under his breath, which caused me to laugh. He was a pretty laid-back guy…you'd have to be to be an elementary school principal…so I was actually surprised that he'd let lose a swear.

"Emmett, James, Tyler, front and center," he yelled having ferretted out the culprits pretty quickly. The guilt on their faces was enough to give them away. I could also see that Rosalie was bright red as well. She dropped the end of the jump rope and ran over to where I was standing with my hands resting on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. The girl played soccer, and she packed a hell of a kick.

"Miss Swan, I'm so sorry," she called as she stopped in front of me.

"It's okay. I was just surprised," I lied.

"Are you okay?" he asked next to me. I nodded as I stayed bent over and caught my breath. It stung a little, but I knew it didn't do any damage.

I heard Principal Cullen scolding the boys and sending them to neutral corners, and I was really grateful that he was there. Alice Whitlock, my best friend, and I had our hands full with them every day, and it was nice for someone else, especially a parent, to witness how they behaved sometimes.

After the hoopla died down, we went back to observing the remaining eighteen kids playing and burning off energy, and I turned to him with a question. "Are you looking forward to teaching again?" I asked.

He pulled off his sunglasses and slipped them into his shirt pocket, turning to me. "Actually, I'm quite happy about getting back into the classroom. I've missed it more than I thought I would, and now that I've been in charge of a whole school, I'm relieved to just be in charge of twenty-eight seventh graders. How about you? It will be your first teaching job ever," he replied.

I thought about it, and I was quite happy. I loved kindergarteners, and I was looking forward to my new job. "I think it's going to be great. Hopefully, everything works out the way I've planned, and I can go back to work after the holidays. I'm really happy that the district is supportive," I replied.

"Yes, that's true. I'll be right back. I need to go check to make certain that Mike Newton isn't standing in the middle of an empty gymnasium with eight pizza boxes. I doubt that the pot-induced fog in which he roams freely would allow his mind to venture that we're outside and haven't been abducted by aliens. I'll put them in the oven in the kitchen until you're ready to go back inside," he called as he walked away.

I strolled over to where a group of first grade girls were playing hopscotch, and I got in line. I was going to miss all of the kids in my afterschool program, but I was looking forward to all of the changes in my future.

Just as it was my turn, Maisy Brown pulled on the leg of my jeans. "Miss Swan, I need to potty," she whispered as I leaned forward to hear her. I looked around and saw that the principal wasn't back, so I motioned to Angela Weber, a sixth grader, who was a very sweet girl.

"Yes, Miss Swan?" she asked as she ran over to me.

"Can you take Maisy to the restroom?" I asked. She smiled her beaming smile and pushed up her purple glasses, nodding her head and taking the little blonde-haired girl's hand. They hurried back inside the building just as Mr. Cullen returned.

He handed me a bottle of water, which I happily accepted and quickly opened. "So, you okay? That was quite a smack with that ball," he asked.

"I'm fine. It just stung a little," I replied as I picked up a soccer ball that had rolled nearby and tossed it back to a group of third graders who had been kicking it around.

"So, have you decided to dump the undeserving…" he began before I wheeled on him.

"Please don't say that. It's not anywhere near true. I'm the one who's undeserving," I snapped.

He laughed as he pulled his phone from the pocket of his khakis. He smiled as he reviewed a text, and then he quickly tapped out a message, slipping it back into his pocket. "I believe we should take them inside and feed them," he suggested.

I pulled the whistle from inside my t-shirt and blew it. When everyone stopped and looked at me, I shouted, "Gather the balls and ropes. We have a surprise in the gym."

They grabbed everything and placed them in the bin, and then lined up without having to be told, which surprised me. "Sure, on the last day of school, they get what I've been trying to teach them all year," I chanted, causing him to laugh next to me.

We were all inside the gym at the three cafeteria tables that had been opened. The pizza boxes were on one table along with plates, napkins, juice boxes, and water bottles, and there were eighteen kids lined up, actually behaving for once.

As they sat down at the tables to eat, I stopped them before they ate. "First, thank Principal Cullen for the pizza," I began.

"Thank you, Principal…Mr. Cullen…Pop," we heard called which caused him to laugh. "You're welcome," he answered.

"Second, I've enjoyed being here with you after school, and I'm really going to miss you, as I know Mrs. Whitlock will. She couldn't be here today, but she wanted me to tell you that she'll be thinking of you, and she wishes you well, just as I do. You're a great group of kids, and it's been a fun year," I announced as I felt tears in my eyes. I didn't want to get emotional. I just wanted them to know that I cared.

"Let's give Miss Swan a round of applause for this great year," Mr. Cullen announced as they all began clapping which caused me to cry when I didn't want to. Damn his hide.

"Dig in," I ordered as I turned my back to them and dried my eyes with my fingers. A moment later, a napkin was in front of my face, and soft whisper in my ear startled me.

"I love you," I heard. I turned and looked at him in surprise because it was unexpected, though completely welcomed.

"I love you too, and I certainly can't wait for the rest of our life," I told him. He smiled and handed me a plate with my favorite…pepperoni with extra cheese. It was a complete surprise that he was there, but I was quite happy about it.

Every child who left that day caused me to go into a fit of tears. At 5:45, it was the adults, Emmett, Rosalie, and Angela. I knew Angela's mother wouldn't arrive before 6:15 because she didn't leave her job until 6:00 on Fridays, and I never charged her extra. Angela was no trouble, and she usually helped Alice and I clean up anyway, so it wasn't a problem.

Emmett, Rosalie, and Angela were playing Uno, and the adults were sitting at the end of the table leaving them to their conversation about all of the change that was coming their way.

"So, the wedding. What about it would you have done differently?" Mr. Cullen asked.

I thought about it, and it wasn't really anything more than I'd have just made it much simpler. "Well, jeans and t-shirts at the courthouse would have worked for me," I answered.

"Yes, well, for a first wedding, that sounds rather spartan," Principal Cullen responded.

I thought about it, but really, it didn't make a difference to me. "Maybe, but as a first-time bride, it would have worked. Tell me, you had an elaborate wedding when you married. Did it make it any more special than an intimate ceremony?" I asked as I sipped a cup of herbal tea.

He looked at me for a moment, and then glanced down the table to where Emmett and company were playing cards, and he smiled. "Well, if I'd have actually been in love with the bride, it wouldn't have made a difference. Considering that I made a huge mistake, it was wasted money," he answered as he looked at his watch. We'd had the occasion to talk about failed relationships because we were a close-knit group. I knew that his previous marriage had ended badly because he didn't make a secret of it, and it wasn't anything we hadn't discussed previously.

Jasper Whitlock sauntered in with a smile on his face. "Well, isn't this…" he began before he laughed.

"Don't start," Mr. Cullen announced. They were as close as Alice and me, and seeing the two of them together was always a treat. They played off of each other like a comedy duo, and I'd laughed endlessly when spending time with the group.

"So, Miss Swan. How are you this very nice last day of school? All packed up?" Jasper asked.

"I am, Mr. Whitlock. I understand that your wife is at home packing as well," I responded as I finished my tea.

"Yeah. I tried to help, but I'm sure we can all imagine how that went," Jasper offered. We laughed.

"Yes, well, at least she's ready. Some of us are dragging our heels and bitching about a wedding," I heard next to me. I wanted to smack him.

"I'm just saying that…hell, it doesn't really matter what I think, now, does it?" I asked them. I saw head shaking all around.

"You gave up control to my mother and Alice. You should have weighed in at the beginning, and you could have had a say into the whole thing," I heard which didn't make me very happy. He was right. I'd relinquished control, and I shouldn't have been surprised.

"I know, but I had no idea that my mother would crawl into the mix, and it would grow into something that resembled a three-ring circus. I'm just waiting for the dancing ponies," I called as I looked at the engagement ring on my finger. It had been a shock when it landed there, but I was truly happy about it.

"Don't give Alice any ideas. Now, I'm gonna take Rosalie home, and we'll see y'all on Wednesday. If somethin' comes up and someone backs out, please call us," Jasper joked as he rose from the table. We nodded and then it was just the adults and Emmett and Angela.

"Okay, let's put the tables up and pack away the games," I called as Emmett and Angela rose from their end of the table just as Mrs. Weber breezed in.

"I'm so sorry," she began her usual apology.

"Hazel, you know I don't care. It's been so nice to meet you, and I'm going to miss you and Angela," I told her as she scurried over to the table and quickly wrote her check for the last week of school.

She tore it off and looked at those of us left, smiling. "You know, I'm sorry that I'm not going to get to see the way this plays out because I could see the attraction in September. I'm so happy for the two of you," she announced as she hugged first me and then him.

Emmett groaned when she hugged him, and after they left, and we finished cleaning up the gym, we all looked at each other. "Well, this is it then, isn't it?" I announced, feeling the tears in my eyes. It had been such a wonderful year that I was hesitant to see it end.

"I'm riding with you. Can we stop at Baskin Robbins and get dessert?" Emmett asked.

"Sure," his father answered as he wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders while we all walked out of the gym.

"Will you miss it?" I was asked by my fiancé. Hell yeah I would. It was almost a magical place for me because I'd found the love of my life there.

"Of course I will. It was my first job. I had no idea where it would lead me, and I had no idea how great it would be at the end, but yes, I'll miss it," I answered as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple.

We all walked out of the building, and Principal Edward Cullen locked the school doors for the last time. I looked between him and Emmett, feeling tears in my eyes. It was the end of something for all of us, and the beginning of other things, but it was quite profound.

"Miss Swan. It's been a pleasure to work with you here. I truly wish you the greatest success as you strike out on your new adventure," Edward remarked in his principal voice.

"God, Pop, that's cheesy. We'll see you at home," Emmett announced as he took my bag and my hand.

Yes, I was marrying the principal of Harris Elementary. I met him just before the first day of school when I went in to interview with him, but I believe I fell in love with him the day his son put gum in Rosalie Whitlock's hair for the first time. Forget the fact that I was holding his son by the ear as I went to complain. The smile on his face when he saw me and a squirming Emmett in the doorway immediately captured my heart.

The road to hammering out a relationship had been tough. We'd endured a lot of speculation regarding the amount of time we spent together because he started showing up at the afterschool program every day. He'd sit and talk to me until the last student was picked up. We'd attended some school outings together, always gravitating toward each other no matter how much we tried not to, and there was a lot of gossip swirling around us.

We'd endured Emmett's mood swings regarding the fact that I spent a lot of time with the two of them because he didn't know there was more going on than a simple friendship, and we'd endured Edward having to deal with a bitter and bitchy ex-wife with whom he shared custody, so when he proposed to me just before spring break, I was flabbergasted.

"_Bella, please listen to me. I know that we've kept this all under the radar and kept it all a secret, but I'm done with that. You're it for me. I can't keep lying to my son and telling him that the reason we have dinner together at your place or ours is because it's part of the deal you struck when you took the job as Extended Day Director. He's twelve, and contrary to his actions on any given day, he's not an idiot. He knows I have feelings for you, and he knows I'm not going to let you go. I've talked to him about you. I finally came clean about the fact I've fallen in love with you, and surprisingly, he's supportive of it because he really cares about you._

"_I want to marry you. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. I know the school is closing, and I'm interviewing at a school near my parents, but I truly believe you can find a place there. Please, consider it. I won't ask you for a yes or no answer right now, but we've been dating for six months, and I don't know how I'd survive you not being in our life," Edward explained._

_I was stunned. I thought we were just sneaking around and messing around. I had no idea he was serious, and it shocked the hell out of me because I was certain he'd never want to get married again as long as he drew a breath._

After dating for two months, we took the next step in our relationship and started having sex. The first time was a bit hurried and clumsy because it was a Sunday afternoon, and we didn't know when Emmett would be back from his visit with his mother, but we'd been fighting it for too long, and when I showed up at his place that Sunday afternoon to help him hang curtains, an innocent kiss led to clothing being shed in record time as he backed me down the hallway to his bedroom. Neither of us looked at the bed before we fell onto it, and it was only after we were both satisfied and breathless that we noticed we were on the clean laundry that he'd folded before I'd arrived.

"_God, I've wanted you since the first day you walked into my office. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met," he whispered as he pushed me down on the bed and quickly pulled the drawer of his nightstand open, grabbing a condom and quickly whisking it on. The next thing I knew, Principal Cullen, the sexiest man I'd ever met, was inside me, and we were going at it like crazy. Oh, the man had moves, and I tried to counter every one of them, and when we both exploded, me first, then him, I knew I was on the brink of something great._

"_Jesus," he gasped as he pulled out of me and settled on top of the laundry, moving a pile of towels out of his way and pulling me close._

"_Um, yeah," I commented as I moved a stack of socks from behind my head._

"_We can do that again, right? Well, maybe not on the laundry, but holy hell, that was incredible," he remarked as he pulled me closer. Oh, hell yeah, we could do that again._

From then forward, every other weekend Emmett spent with his mother, Jane, was a fucking free-for-all between me and the principal. After the initial nerves wore off, we fucked everywhere we could, including one night in the janitor's closet during a middle-school mixer of which neither of us was very proud.

"_Miss Swan, Mrs. Whitlock, you both look quite lovely," Edward commented as he walked over to the table where Alice and I stood behind a large punch bowl and a table full of snacks._

"_Why Principal Cullen, that's just so nice for you to say. How's everything?" Alice asked as she laughed at my red cheeks. She knew that I was seeing him, and she loved to play with me, the bitch. I'd have to get back at her, and I wanted to hug her as well for lending me the dress I was wearing. Such things did not exist in my wardrobe, but apparently, the principal liked royal blue because I felt his hand on my back in an innocent gesture._

"_Things are fine. Oh, it appears that we need more punch. Um, I believe I saw jugs of it in the kitchen. Miss Swan, could I trouble you to open the door for me? I'll carry the bowl," he volunteered not so covertly._

"_Yes, Miss Swan, why don't you assist the handsome principal in filling the punchbowl?" Alice teased._

_I gave her a dirty look and followed him toward the kitchen where he dropped the punchbowl on the counter and grabbed my hand, finding the kitchen empty._

"_Hell, you look gorgeous. I've got something to show you," he joked as he led me out the back door of the kitchen to the empty hallway and into the janitor's closet where he locked the door once we were inside, having pulled the chain for the overhead light._

"_Principal Cullen, this is, um, well different. I've never been in this closet before, but um, if I ever need a mop or a broom for extended day, I certainly know where to…" I began my joke when he flipped a bucket over and sat down, pulling me to straddle him on top of it._

"_Don't start with the crackin' wise. You look stunning. I don't know where this came from, but the moment I saw you walk into the gym with Alice, I was stunned. Jesus, you look so fucking sexy," he whispered as he kissed along my chest at the "v" in the dress, lighting me up like a candle._

"_Edward, we're supposed to be chaperoning…" I tossed out as he moved the jersey knit dress low enough to pull my breast free from my bra and take my left nipple into his mouth which stopped my mouth from moving. Before I knew it, my panties were off and in his pants' pocket, and he was inside me. It was a whirlwind experience, but I'd never change a moment of it, including the rough paper towels we had to use to clean up after._

Of course, our disappearance from the dance at the same time did nothing to quell the gossip that swirled around us, regardless of whether we carried the punchbowl back into the gym not fifteen minutes later. It was full, by the way.

\\\

_**Hmmm. So?**_

_**Thanks for reading. I hope to hear from you. Like I said it's all fluff, but it's winter where I am, and I love a bit of fluff every now and again.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I'm so happy to for those of you who took the time to read this little bit of business! Your reviews made me very happy!**_

_**SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. I own nothing more than this story line and the mistakes therein!**_

_**\\\**_

2.

After I said yes that I'd marry him, both of our sex drives torqued up even more than before. The man was like a starving man in the desert when it came to physical contact. He'd been denied affection for far too long, and I loved him so much that I'd sneak away with him every chance I had. One of those little encounters and a missed appointment for me had led us to a place that neither of us imagined, but we were actually happy about it.

"_Edward, I thought you and Emmett were going camping this weekend," I informed him on a random Saturday morning when he had the audacity to wake me from a lovely slumber at 6:30 AM. It wasn't that I didn't want to see him; it was just that he was unexpected, and actually, I was wearing one of his t-shirts I'd stolen from his house to sleep in. He laughed at my appearance and pushed me aside, strolling into my small apartment as if he owned it._

"_Yes, we are, but he's with Mom getting a haircut, and I have about half an hour. I'm not going to see you this weekend, and if I'm being honest, I'm horny as hell. I thought maybe a cup of coffee and a doughnut would garner me enough favor that we could have a quickie in your kitchen. You turned on the switch, by the way," he reminded._

"_My ass, I turned on the switch," I teased as he picked me up and carried me into my living room where he proceeded to pull down my panties and do very wicked things to me with his tongue. How could I ever deny him? I mean, he made me see stars, and it was only after we fucked that I remembered maybe there was a problem, but hell, I was too spent and exhausted at that point to really think about it. Oh, I'd remember it a day or two later when I looked at my calendar, but at that moment, not a thought._

"Fine. Mint Chocolate chip for me, please," Edward called as he walked over to his car and climbed in. Emmett, having been taught very well by his father, opened my door for me and then raced around to the other side of the car and climbed in. After his seatbelt was fastened, he smiled at me.

"So, what am I supposed to call you after you and my dad get married?" he asked.

I thought for a minute, and I laughed. "I hope you won't call me some of the names your mom calls me. Bella's fine. I'm not trying to take her place, you know," I answered honestly. Oh, I knew what that bitch called me, but they were mild compared to what I called her in my head. She was quite unhappy when she found out Edward was engaged, and it certainly didn't help I was ten years younger than _her_.

"I don't want to visit her anymore. I hate that jerk she's dating," Emmett responded as we pulled out of the school parking lot. That was the funny thing about Emmett Cullen. He barely spoke to me during school, and I knew why, but when it was just the two of us, he opened up like a friendly old book, and it made me quite happy.

"Why? She's your mom," I asked because I didn't realize there was any friction between him and Jane. I hated her, but that was something I tried to keep hidden from her son.

"He's an ass. He treats me like crap, and she doesn't even give a care. I don't tell Pop about a lot of it because he'd take her back to court to change the custody thing, and I don't want to think about having to go through that again," Emmett replied.

I remembered the story of the custody battle, and Emmett had to testify he wanted to live with his dad full-time. It had torn him up to have to turn on his mother, but as Edward had told me, she wasn't a great mother to begin with, and even when he and Jane were still together, Edward was the primary caregiver to his son.

"Okay, um, we'll talk to your dad about it tonight, and we'll see what we can do, okay? If you don't like going there, then you…well, maybe something can be worked out," I offered, not promising him that he wouldn't have to visit her because it wasn't mine to promise.

"So, anything else you want to talk about while your dad's not around?" I asked. Emmett and I actually had some pretty in-depth discussions when Edward wasn't around. It was sometimes disturbing climbing into the mind of a twelve-year old boy, but it had been necessary for the two of us to learn how to get along for Edward's sake.

"When you live with us, is the house gonna smell like our apartment does now? You know, before you came around, it smelled a lot different," he replied.

I thought for a minute and decided that, once again, I had no damn idea to what he was referring. "You think your apartment smells? I mean, honestly, when I first started coming over there, it smelled like a gym locker. You two guys lived like pigs," I reminded him.

"Yeah…those were the good old days when Dad didn't yell at me to keep my room clean or to keep my crap in my room and not all over the house. Then, after you came over to our place that first time, he started cleaning up, and I had to start taking the trash out every day. Now our place is always clean, and it smells like pine trees mixed with perfume or something," Emmett complained.

I laughed as I remembered the night I'd shown up at their apartment unannounced. I was supposed to cook at my place, but the stove blew up, so I packed up the groceries and drove over to Edward's apartment.

_I rang the bell on their apartment door, and when Emmett opened it, he rolled his eyes. "What are you doin' here? I thought we were supposed to come to your house for dinner. I still think it's too much for the school to ask that we have to entertain the extended day director at least once a week so she doesn't have to be alone in a new city. Aren't you makin' any friends?" Emmett asked._

_I looked behind him into the living room and saw clothes and pizza boxes everywhere. There was a definite smell coming from inside, and it wasn't pleasant at all. "Um, my stove blew up and the super can't come by to fix it until the weekend, so I thought maybe I could cook over here," I offered lamely._

"_Blew up? Like 'bang' and then smoke and fire?" Emmett asked excitedly. I should have chosen a better phrase than 'blew up' because of course he'd think it was something akin to a car explosion._

"_No, nothing that dramatic. It simply won't work. Where's Mr. Cullen?" I asked. We'd been dating covertly for a month, and we were trying to keep things casual because of the fact that… A) he was my boss; B) he had a twelve-year-old son; and C) he'd been through a horrible marriage that had ended three years' prior, and I got the distinct sense he was nowhere near ready to get serious about anyone for a long time to come._

"_POP!" Emmett yelled as he let me inside and closed the door. He led me to the kitchen, which was a worse mess than the living room, and then he sat down at the table and proceeded to stare at me._

_Edward came into the kitchen in…yeah…nothing but a pair of boxers, a white t-shirt, and glasses. His hair was wet, and he was completely shocked I was standing in his kitchen with two bags of groceries. "Oh, Miss Swan, I didn't realize…Em, you really could have told me we had company," Edward chided as he stepped behind the counter to block my view of his green striped boxers. At that point, we hadn't really done anything more than kiss and a little over the clothes mutual groping, and try as I might, seeing him in so few clothes had me panting like a bulldog._

"_Her stove blew up. She wants to cook here," Emmett responded with disdain in his voice. I saw Edward look around the kitchen and blush, which was really cute considering he was thirty-four years old._

"_Oh, um, well, that's fine. Just let me grab some pants and then I'll clean up the kitchen so you can have some…I'm really sorry about the mess. It's just that we don't get company, ever, and well, I had to let the maid go," Edward teased._

"_When did we have a maid?" Emmett asked. I knew Edward was making a joke, but apparently, his humor was lost on his son._

"_Yeah, um, Em, get a trash bag and start cleaning up the living room, and I'll just go get dressed," Edward offered._

_I could hear Emmett complaining under his breath as he went to a cabinet and grabbed a large green bag, stomping out of the room and leaving the two of us alone in the kitchen. I looked at Edward and laughed. "Hey, I didn't think it would be like walking into a magazine shoot. Just go get dressed, and I'll take care of things in here. You're two guys living alone. I expected something of the sort," I lied. _

_I didn't expect anything of the sort…the man always looked very well put together when I'd seen him at school and on dates, so the disaster in which he was living was a shock._

_I cleaned up the kitchen…for an hour and a half…while Edward and Emmett cleaned up the living room and argued. After that night, when I showed up at their place, it was much like a magazine shoot._

"The pine tree smell is actually the cleaner your father uses to do the floors, and the perfume smell is the scented candles that he burns to keep your house from smelling like a pair of sweaty gym socks. I can promise you when we all live together it will smell very much like your apartment smells now. Though, maybe I'll find some unscented cleaning products if that will make you happy," I acquiesced.

"Will we get to go fishing with your dad like he said at the game?" Emmett asked.

My parents had come to Seattle one weekend for a football game after we gave them tickets for Christmas. The five of us went, and my parents liked Edward and Emmett immediately. My dad promised Emmett he'd take him camping and fishing over the summer, and Emmett was all over it. Of course, that was before any of us knew the school was going to close and we'd all be moving to Forks permanently.

"Probably every Sunday morning if you want. Charlie goes down to the Rez and fishes every Sunday, and as much as he likes you, I'm sure he'll want a fishing buddy," I suggested. Knowing how excited my parents were that we were moving to Forks, I had no doubt in my mind Em and my dad would become joined at the hip.

"Cool. So, why do you like my dad? He's like old, isn't he?" Emmett asked. Edward was exactly Emmett's age older than me, but it wasn't a big deal between us. My mother always told me I was an old soul, and I supposed working at a middle school kept him from becoming an old crank, so the age thing didn't matter to us.

"Well, Em, I fell in love with your dad, and the age difference doesn't seem to be a factor for us. Do you think he's too old for me, or is it just because he's your dad and you have a hard time seeing him with anyone other than your mom?" I asked as we sat at a red light in traffic I certainly wasn't going to miss when we moved to a smaller town.

"No, that's not it. When Mom and Dad were together, they fought all the time, and I hated it. He's a lot different with you than he was with her. I never saw them even hug each other, much less sit on the couch together and make out inappropriately while we watch TV like you guys do. I want him to be happy. I just wondered what it was about him that made you like him in the first place," Emmett asked.

That was actually easy. "Well, he's sweet and considerate, and don't get me started on how good looking he is. He loves you very much, and all of those things are very attractive to me. You're going to be a lady killer someday, just like your dad," I replied as I ruffled his hair. He was a big kid, and he was already really cute. I knew several of the girls at school had crushes on him, but it seemed like the only girl on his radar was Rosalie Whitlock. I thought it was cute. Alice and Jasper thought it was a disaster in the making.

"Yeah, well, I'm never gettin' married. I already told Rose we could be best friends forever, but we weren't gettin' married," he volunteered as I turned into the strip mall where his favorite ice cream store was located.

"Oh, now, I think someday, probably not in the too distant future, you'll change your mind," I replied, hearing him groan.

"No way, Bella," he responded as I pulled into the parking lot of the home of thirty-one flavors. After we got the ice cream, I drove us to their apartment in Seattle that was packed up. Mine…well, I was trying. It was difficult to pack and puke at the same time, so it was taking a little longer for me.

We went inside the building, and when we stepped off the elevator, Edward was waiting for us in the hallway. Emmett had the ice cream, and Edward picked me up and carried me into the apartment without a word.

"Do you know how scarring that is for me?" Emmett whined as he placed the ice cream in the freezer and turned to look at us.

"Do you know how much I don't care? Go iChat with Rosalie or some of those other idiots you call friends and leave me to my fiancée," Edward told him with a laugh. Emmett laughed and left us, as Edward placed me on the counter of his kitchen.

"How's the mother of my second child?" he asked quietly as he placed his hand over the tiny bulge in my abdomen. Yeah, I was knocked up.

"_Hey, we've got a problem. Um, somehow…I didn't plan this," I began one night when he was staying at my apartment. Emmett was with Carlisle and Esme, and Edward and I had gone to dinner. I knew I needed to tell him the truth about the situation because it wasn't first time in his life he'd faced it, but I hated it was with me. We'd gone back to my room, and we were getting ready for bed when I broke down._

"_God, stop crying, please, and tell me what's wrong?" he asked as he sprawled on my double bed in his boxers and t-shirt, sexy glasses in place. At that moment, I almost couldn't speak because he was so fucking handsome, and regardless of what he thought, I knew in my heart of hearts I was happy about the news, and I was absolutely going to keep the baby._

"_I'm pregnant. I have no idea how it happened...well, that's not exactly true, but it's happened. Look, I expect nothing from you because I fucked this up. You have Emmett to take care of, and this isn't something you signed up…" I'd begun. We were engaged, and we'd talked about a family, but we'd agreed we'd wait until we were settled in Forks to even contemplate it. That wasn't exactly what was going to happen, so I was offering him the out._

"_You're…you mean, we're…a baby?" he asked with a look of bewilderment on his face I was so fucking worried about._

_I sniffed, wiping my nose with a tissue I pulled from the box next to my bed. "Yeah, but listen, you don't have to worry about this. This is my mistake, not yours. I was the one who didn't want to use condoms, and well, I actually missed an appointment with my OB to get my shot, so it's not anything you have to worry about," I justified, hoping and praying not to piss him off. He was older than me, and I didn't know how he'd take the news. It might be the thing that caused him to step back and reassess our relationship, which was something I expected nearly every day. _

_I started to grab my purse and leave my apartment when he grabbed my arm and pulled me into his chest, looking deeply into my eyes. "Isabella, are you telling me that we're going to have a baby?" he asked as he studied my face, completely intimidating me. No wonder he was a good principal. He could scare the shit out of anyone with a mere look._

"_I'm telling you I'm pregnant, and you're the father, but I'm also telling you if you don't want to be a part of this, you don't have to. I know what you've gone through with Jane, and Edward, I'd never do any of that to you. I can take care of this baby on my own, and you can play as much or as little a part in its life as you want. I'm not using this as leverage. I'll leave you and Emmett to your life, and you'll never have to see or hear from me again," I promised._

_I saw him look at me for a moment and then chuckle. "Oh, you're offering comic relief? You think I'm the guy who would be upset because…fuck, Bella. Do I seem to be the guy who would walk out on my child? I've already asked you to marry me, and yeah, I didn't expect we'd have a baby right away, but hell, I'm not unhappy about it. You're not going to slip off on me, are you? I'm not going to walk away, you know," he answered as he pulled me on top of him._

"_I'm not trying to be funny. I'm just telling you that you're not trapped, okay? I didn't intend to get pregnant, but I'm keeping the baby," I announced as I sat straddling his thighs and waiting for his decision of whether he was up for it or not._

"_And, you're keeping me as well, right? I mean, you're carrying my child inside you, and you sound like you're ready to hop a plane and go away, taking my child with you. You know, I'll find you and fight you. That's something you should have learned about me. No, I think I'll just keep you and our baby this close so we don't have to go through any of that crap. I love you, and if you're giving me another child, well, I think I'll just look at it as a gift from the heavens, just like its mother," he told me as he pulled me down to kiss me senseless._

_That night, he made love to me, and he told me over and over how happy he was we were having a baby together. It was a jolt to my sensibilities, but I was so fucking happy I couldn't breathe. _

"She's still hungry," I responded. He laughed. He went to the oven and pulled out my latest craving…tater tots. He opened the microwave and pulled out Hormel's chili without beans and poured it over the top, and then, God love him, he sprinkled cheese on top and put the plate in the microwave.

"You know, if your son wasn't here, I'd fuck you right here in this kitchen," I whispered. He laughed again and when the microwave chimed, he pulled it out and handed the plate to me with a fork. Oh, it was the best food in the world.

"So, we'll pack your place tomorrow, and then the movers come. You have to pack your shit, Bella. We can't move into the new house unless you have underwear…well, actually, we could, but that might be more scarring for Emmett than me carrying you inside," he joked.

I was busy eating the food, but after I swallowed a huge mouthful, I took a drink of the water he'd handed me and looked at him.

"Honey, he doesn't want to go spend time with Jane anymore. I know she wants him for the two weeks we're supposed to be in Hawaii, but maybe we don't go. We still have to tell him about the baby, Edward. I'm just worried that this is too much at one time," I whispered.

"Love, I know you're worried, but we've already…" he began before I shoved a tater tot into his mouth to shut him up.

"We could take him with us, you know. So what if it's not the most romantic honeymoon in the world? Edward, he needs to feel like he has a family, and I'm so fucking worried about how he's going to take the news of the baby," I confessed quietly.

He chewed the food, and then he smiled. "Do you know how much I love you? EMMETT!" he shouted.

When Emmett ambled down the hallway and into the kitchen, I heard the groan, but when Edward grabbed him around the neck and hugged him, he quit complaining. "Hey, maybe instead of going to stay with your mom…well if I can swing it…you wanna go to Hawaii with us?" Edward asked.

We both saw his eyes light up as he took in the news. "Hell…I mean, heck yeah," he answered as he smiled at the two of us with a fist pump.

"Okay. Then, I guess the Cullen family is going to Hawaii," I responded as I offered Emmett the fork, and he finished the tater tots on the plate. He was happy. Edward was happy. I was beyond happy.

##

"So we get to watch movies too?" Emmett asked as we settled into our seats in business class. We'd married the day before, and it was just as Alice and Esme wanted it to be. No one except Edward and me knew about the baby, but the wedding was lovely.

"That's what the headphones are for," Edward told Emmett as he pulled the set out of the seat pocket and handed them to him. Emmett appeared to be quite happy about it.

After we'd taken off and Emmett was lost in a movie, Edward looked at me and picked up my right hand, kissing my knuckles. "I love you more than you'll ever know. You're my everything, Mrs. Cullen," he whispered. In that moment, I actually felt like his everything. It was a good place to be for me, and I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder. That was actually perfect.

Ten days in Hawaii touring the islands, having modified our itinerary because we had an adolescent with us, actually proved to be wonderful.

Four days into the trip, we had to tell Emmett about the baby because I couldn't keep anything down, and he'd determined I had some sort of plague. It was actually a funny conversation.

"_Pop, we need to take her to the hospital. She can't keep water down, and every time she eats anything, she pukes," Emmett complained as I lie on the couch in our suite. We'd upgraded from the king room we originally had reserved, and the suite was actually quite nice._

"_Em, she's fine," Edward replied as he handed me a bottle of water._

_We could both tell he wasn't buying it, so I prodded, "Honey, just tell him."_

"_Okay, but we agreed we'd wait for a few months. You know, don't you, once I tell him, my parents will find out, and then your parents will find out, and then our friends will find out. The boy has no filter," Edward reasoned. I laughed as Emmett looked between the two of us with concern on his face._

"_Emmett, come here, and take a seat," I instructed as Edward sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap._

"_Scarring…I'm telling you," Emmett told us as he sat in the floor facing us._

"_You think this is scarring? Well, get ready. You're going to have a brother or sister in December," Edward told him as he hugged me closer._

_Emmett sat stunned for a minute, and then he laughed. "Really? You two are gonna have another kid? Boy or girl?" he asked._

"_We don't know yet," I answered nervously._

"_Pop, I thought we had the talk," Emmett teased, and Edward laughed._

"_Yeah, I should have listened better. Are you okay with this?" Edward asked._

"_I guess I don't have much of a choice, right?" Emmett answered. I hated he felt that way._

"_Emmett, you know this baby won't be any more important to us than you, right?" I asked feeling awful. The kid had been through a lot, and I hated we were putting him through more._

"_Hey, I'm not a kid, you know. I know a little brother or sister is just another member of the family. Don't worry about it. I'm not," he responded as he hugged the two of us and went to bed. Well, there you have it and there you are._

##

"Can I hold her?" Emmett asked as we all sat in the room of Forks Hospital where our daughter had been born a few hours earlier.

I handed Courtney to him, and he smiled, looking into her sweet little face. "Sis, I'll warn you. They're inappropriate most of the time, but I'll try to shield you from it and remind them that there are children in the house," he told our daughter.

Edward laughed. It had been a long nine months with moving and settling into the new house, the new school, and having our parents around all the time, but we'd done it, and we had a daughter.

Jane never questioned why Emmett didn't want to visit her any longer, and she didn't push it which puzzled me because I couldn't understand it, but I was actually grateful. Emmett just seemed to be relieved.

I looked at my husband, and I could only smile. It had been a surprise when I met him all those months ago, and as I lie in the bed looking at my relatively new family, I remembered it like it was yesterday. It was the end of July, and I'd just moved to a new apartment in Seattle, having graduated from UW in May.

"_Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I'm here about the extended-day director job," I called to the empty office. I was there for a meet-and-greet with the principal who was holding up my hiring, which pissed me off to no end, and there was no one in sight._

"_Goddammit, Jane. Don't make this…fuck it. Fine. I'll send you a check, but I get him back at the end of August. Yeah, you go to hell as well," I heard as I stood in the office that July afternoon waiting for my appointment._

_I heard the phone slammed down on the base, well, more than once, and then I heard a whole lot of cursing. I'd met with the guidance counselor and the assistant principal who'd tendered the offer, but apparently, I'd been slotted to meet with the principal on the worst fucking day possible._

"_Um, hello?" I called again._

"_Hang on a second," I heard yelled as I saw him pick up something from his desk and slam it into the wall of his office. He then picked up a trash can and cleaned up the debris. I wasn't sure if he knew I could actually see him or not, but I wasn't about to ask. I needed the job because, hell the clock was ticking on my student loans and an after-school program was the best I could find that year._

_After a lot more cursing and a lot of stomping around, a very attractive man walked out from the office with nice glasses on his very attractive face and a fake smile. _

"_You are?" he asked as he stood on one side of the little counter._

"_I'm Bella Swan. We have an appointment unless I misunderstood," I offered._

_He shook his head. "I'm sure we do. My secretary's on vacation and I'm a bit…come on in. I know Garrett already extended the offer, and I'm sorry I held it up, but I'm trying to get a handle on the after-school program because we had a fiasco last year," he offered._

_Oh, I knew it, because it was actually on the evening news. A child had wondered off the property because the director was busy having a little margarita party in her office leaving the children unattended. It was quite the scandal._

"_Um, Principal Cullen, let's just cut to the chase, shall we? I've got a degree in elementary education, and I'm having a hard time finding a job. I won't be hosting parties in my office, and I'm not really a drinker. I enjoy spending time with kids, and I really hate wasting my time," I offered because really, if he wasn't going to give me his stamp of approval, then it was wasted time._

_He pointed to the chair in front of his desk as he took a seat behind it. "You did your student teaching where?" he asked. Ah, so we were going to go down that road? He had my damn resume in front of him, so I knew he was just being a dick._

"_Mr. Cullen, let's just cut to the chase here. You've got my CV and my transcripts, along with my letters of recommendation from my volunteer work with the YMCA and Head Start. If you'll just tell me your hesitation with regard to offering me the position, I think our time will be much more constructive," I suggested, rather strongly. Okay, maybe I snapped, but WTF?_

_He tossed a pen on the desk, obviously frustrated, and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. "Fine. I think you're too young for the job. I think these kids will run over you, and I think you're in over your head. I've read through the application packet you submitted, and while I think it's all quite impressive, I don't need another bored young girl just doing a job. There has to be structure in the morning and after-school programs because these kids will take advantage of perceived weakness as soon as they smell it. I don't want to have to spend my mornings and afternoons in the gym corralling the extended day students when I've got other things to do," he snapped back._

"_I think it's awfully presumptuous for you to decide I can't do the job based on my age. Look, maybe you're right and they'll try to run over me, but I have every confidence I can hold me own, Mr. Cullen. I'd almost like to suggest you're being ageist, but now, you and I both know that's against EEOC laws, don't we?" I replied coldly._

_He stared at me for a minute, and then he started to laugh. "I apologize. I believe I might have formed an opinion of you based on your age and your appearance, but I can clearly see you can hold your own against me, so I've got to believe you can handle about twenty kindergarten-through-sixth graders. Okay, if you want the job and the salary Garrett quoted is acceptable, I'll sign off. Welcome to Harris Elementary, Miss Swan," he replied._

_I rose from my chair and shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen. I believe by the end of the school year, you'll see you've made a good decision."_

"_Actually, Miss Swan, I already believe I have," he answered with a sexy smile on his face. From that moment, I was a goner._

"So, we're getting sprung in the morning. Are you guys ready to have yet another woman invading your man cave?" I joked.

"She's gonna stink up the place more than Pop and me," Emmett remarked as he handed her back to me with a sour look on his face. When I took her, I knew why, and I laughed.

"Yep, she sure will," I answered.

After Esme and Carlisle picked up Emmett to stay at their house for the night, and my parents left after coming to see their first granddaughter, Edward settled into a cot in the room to sleep while I slept in my hospital bed. Courtney was safely ensconced in the nursery, and I finally had time to think.

Everything had been so busy and hurried of late, but as I lay in the bed that night and thought it all through, I was quite pleased it hadn't dragged out for years. Maybe it was all new and we'd all have adjustments to make, but at the end of the day, I had a son and a daughter and a husband. The beginning of my new life was shaping up to be nothing short of wonderful. That night, maybe for the last time in a long time since we would have a new baby in the house, I settled into a restful sleep with a smile on my face. I had absolutely everything to be happy about.

The principal of Harris Elementary had ended up being more than just the pissy man I'd interviewed with the summer before…he'd ended up being my future. How great was my life?

\\\

_**Thank you for reading. I hope to hear from you.**_

_**Till next time…xoxo**_


End file.
